The Arena of the Unwell

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After a comeback concert turns violent, he runs into barman Dylan, who he has been crushing on from afar, and photographer Fraser, who comes with Dylan everywhere. The novel reminds us of the sense of renewal in hearing songs that resonate and the thrill of live music.

North London life is perfectly captured in all its hazy, boozy glory, as Noah moves from grotty pub to even grottier indie venue, in prose that hums with the smell of stale fags and spilled beer. Instead, the story seems structured in a way where the fault lies entirely with the two men who draw them into their twisted (and frankly baffling) co-dependency. The rows ahead of me have stopped dancing, and those of us who can see stare up at the stage, more disturbed by Claire’s stillness than the blood. Moreover, there's a kind of pretension about how he withdraws from society where he admits “I am 'convalescing'. And, I’ll preface this by saying I KNOW depression/anxiety are crippling and they may not be ‘a good reason’ but in a novel… I need a bit more of him helping himself otherwise the character doesn’t come across as sympathetic, only whiny.

Es gab keinen richtigen Spannungsbogen- hat sich immer mal wieder gesteigert, mal ist die Blase geplazt. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 17/1/2024) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 17/1/2024). John ‘Jock’ Findlay was born and brought up in the heart of the burgeoning West Lothian shale oil industry.

I’ve written for quite a few different places with their own house styles, so that sort of chameleon-like ability came in handy. Nevada by Imogen Binnie – I’m counting the UK publication this year as making it released in 2022, though clearly it’s not from 2022.

He likes to go out, see ‘Indie’ (yes inverted commas as Indie is not a music style and it bothers me) bands, get drunk, take drugs, not use dating apps or go to gay bars, and not take his medication.

The upcoming Smiling Politely album is a beacon of hope for Noah who craves the connection he finds in their music yet lacks elsewhere, but he has to ask himself what he's willing to lose - friendships, dignity, even his sense of self - to just feel like he belongs. A lot of fiction I read this year was good, but not so good as to be one of my top books, so it is quite a brief list this year. LK: The thing about indie sleaze is that it’s a retrospective term made up by someone who needed a handle for their Instagram account. He soon falls into the arms of Dylan, the cheeky, charming local barman Noah’s never quite had the courage to approach, who takes him back to his flat. The author articulates with painful precision the anguish, desperation, and loneliness in Noah, and my heart really went out to him.Noah becomes wholly consumed by their relationship, to the point where he compromises himself to belong with them. I also feel like for a character study, I don't feel like the characters developed much from page one to page 300. I hope it’s a good one, and that it connects with people and makes them feel things, but I’m not trying to teach anyone. I was surprised not to appreciate this novel after having read (and loved) the novel “Love in the Big City” because the protagonist of that book is somewhat similar to Noah. It's funny and well written but in the latter half devolves into a series of things that just seem to happen because something has to happen.

People recoil and the shifting currents push everyone else closer together as she tracks blood through the first few rows.

The book cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket (if applicable) is included for hard covers. The book is told from Noah's first person perspective, with the previously mentioned press snippets about Smiling Politely intercut (I very much enjoyed that these were often cut off like real news sites if you weren't a paying member).